Method and apparatus for beverage formation with liquid delivery control

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for forming a beverage. A brewer may be operated so that when water or other beverage precursor is detected to be heated to a desired temperature, the liquid may be provided to a brew chamber to form a beverage. In one embodiment, detection of the water temperature may be performed by a temperature cut off switch (TCO) which is normally closed to provide power to a water heater, but opens when the water reaches a predetermined temperature. Opening of the TCO may cause delivery of the liquid to the brew chamber, e.g., by causing pressurization of a reservoir containing the liquid. In another embodiment, control of delivery of water from the reservoir may be made based on power interruption to the heater. For example, an air pump may be controlled to deliver air to the reservoir in response to power to the heater being cut off.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application60/843,012, filed Sep. 7, 2006, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Some types of beverage forming devices, such as coffee brewers, use acartridge containing a beverage medium, e.g., ground coffee, to form abeverage. In coffee brewers of this type, water is heated by the brewerand introduced into the cartridge. The water infuses with the coffee inthe cartridge, and the beverage formed is removed from the cartridge forconsumption. Many coffee brewers of this type commonly require a user toprovide water to the machine that is used to form the beverage.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The inventors have appreciated that in some applications, users of abeverage forming device, such as a coffee brewer, may need to bereminded of the need to provide water to the brewer. For example, withbrewers used by hotel guests in their room, the guests may not befamiliar with the brewer operation, and proper reminders regarding theneed to provide water may help avoid user frustration or failure toproperly operate the device. In other embodiments, it may be desirableto keep the brewer empty of water between uses. Again using the hotelbrewer context as an example, it may be preferable to maintain thebrewer empty of water between uses, e.g., because several hours or daysmay pass between uses. Requiring a user to provide fresh water at thetime of use may help to provide a higher quality beverage.

One aspect of the invention relates to a method of brewer operation,which may include placing a brew cartridge in the brewer, and thenclosing a brew chamber to at least partially enclose the cartridge.Closing of the brew chamber may automatically enable the providing ofwater or other beverage precursor liquid into a reservoir in the brewer,which is then used (heated or not) with the cartridge to form abeverage. For example, closing the brew chamber may cause a lid for awater reservoir to be fully opened or otherwise moved to allow access toan access opening of the reservoir, allowing a user to provide waterinto the reservoir. The reservoir lid may open with an abrupt action,causing attention to be drawn to the reservoir lid. In one embodiment,the lid may open with a spring action, e.g., to help further drawattention to the water reservoir and the need to provide water. Such afeature may be useful in certain embodiments, such as brewers arrangedto form one cup of beverage at a time and thus requiring water to beprovided for each brew cycle. In another embodiment, closure of the brewchamber may cause actuation of a baffle, pump, valve or other device toprovide a suitable amount of water to a reservoir for beverageformation.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage formation device mayinclude a brew chamber for receiving a beverage cartridge and have a lidthat is movable between open and closed positions to open and close thebrew chamber. The brew chamber may be adapted to substantially enclose abeverage cartridge with the lid in a closed position. A reservoir mayhold a beverage precursor liquid, such as water, and have a lid that ismovable to open and close an access opening through which precursorliquid is provided into the reservoir. A heater may heat the precursorliquid that is provided to the brew chamber, and a lid control mechanismmay lock the reservoir lid in a position to block access to the accessopening while the brew chamber lid is open, and unlock the lid to allowaccess to the access opening when the brew chamber lid is moved from theopen position to the closed position.

In another aspect of the invention, a brewer may be configured so thatwhen a user opens a brew chamber, e.g., to place a cartridge in thebrewer, a lid of a water reservoir is also opened simultaneously andautomatically with opening of the brew chamber. After placement of thecartridge in the brew chamber and the brew chamber is closed, the lid ofthe water reservoir may remain open, e.g., to help remind a user toprovide water to the brewer. The open reservoir lid may include a sound,sign display, or other indication to the user to provide water for thebrew cycle, e.g., a visible marking, such as printed text “Add Water” tohelp guide the user's operation of the device.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for operating a brewerincludes providing a brew cartridge, providing water in a reservoir forbeverage formation, closing a lid to close the access opening andpneumatically seal the reservoir, heating the water, and providing thewater to the cartridge to form a beverage. Water may be provided intothe reservoir by a user pouring the water through a reservoir accessopening. The pneumatic seal may be provided by a silicone rubber gasketbetween the lid and reservoir body and/or any other suitablearrangement. Pneumatic sealing of the reservoir may allow the water inthe reservoir to be expelled from the reservoir for flow to the brewchamber by introducing air pressure into the reservoir, e.g., by an airpump. The reservoir may be vented during heating of the water, e.g., toallow steam or other gases to escape, and during pressurization of thereservoir and delivery of the brew water. However, the ventingarrangement may be constructed to allow a suitably small amount of gasto escape so as to allow successful delivery of the brew water to thebrew chamber. As a result, heating of the water and the attendant steamcreation or other pressure generation, may not cause delivery of waterto the cartridge. Instead, such pressure may be vented and the waterdelivered to the cartridge when appropriate. Such an arrangement mayavoid the need for providing controlled venting, e.g., by way of acontrollable valve, yet still permit pressurized delivery of water fromthe reservoir.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage formation device mayinclude a brew chamber for receiving a beverage cartridge and have a lidthat is movable between open and closed positions to open and close thebrew chamber. The brew chamber may be adapted to substantially enclose abeverage cartridge with the lid in a closed position. A reservoir mayhold a beverage precursor liquid and have a lid that is movable to openand close an access opening through which precursor liquid is providedinto the reservoir. The lid may be adapted to pneumatically seal thereservoir access opening in a closed position, and thereby pneumaticallyseal the reservoir so that liquid in the reservoir may be delivered bypressurizing the reservoir. A heater may heat the precursor liquid thatis provided to the brew chamber, e.g., by way of a heater in thereservoir.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for operating a brewerincludes providing a brew cartridge, providing water in a reservoir,providing a brew indication to begin a brewing cycle, heating the water,detecting when the water is heated to a desired temperature, and thenproviding the water to the cartridge to form a beverage based on thedetected temperature. In one embodiment, detection of the watertemperature is performed by a temperature cut off switch (TCO) which isnormally closed to provide power to a water heater, but opens when thewater reaches a predetermined temperature. Opening of the TCO may causethe brewer to deliver the heated water to the cartridge. For example,the brewer may include an air pump that pneumatically pressurizes thewater reservoir in response to opening of the TCO switch, therebyforcing the heated water to the cartridge. Such an arrangement mayprovide for a simplified control mechanism.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for forming a beverageincludes providing a brew indication to cause a brewer to begin a brewcycle, delivering power to a heater to heat precursor liquid in areservoir of the brewer, detecting the temperature of the precursorliquid during heating, interrupting power to the heater based ondetecting that the precursor liquid is heated to a desired temperature,and delivering the precursor liquid from the reservoir based oninterrupting power to the heater. Thus, control of delivery of waterfrom the reservoir may be made based on power interruption to theheater, thereby ensuring that the heater is not operating while water isbeing delivered from the reservoir. This feature may help prevent damageto the heater or other components that might be caused by operating theheater without having sufficient water present to receive the heatgenerated, especially in devices that empty the reservoir of liquidduring each brew cycle.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage forming machine includesa brew chamber for receiving a brew cartridge, a reservoir for receivingprecursor liquid for use in forming a beverage, and a brew indicationswitch for receiving an indication from a user to begin a brewing cycle.The brew indication switch may take any suitable form, such as a powerbutton that a user may press to initiate a brew cycle, a switch thatdetects closure of a lid for the reservoir, a cup sensor that detectsthe presence of a cup or other vessel to receive a beverage, etc. Themachine may also include a heater for heating precursor liquid in thereservoir, a detector for detecting a desired temperature of precursorliquid in the reservoir, an air pump for providing pressurized air tothe reservoir, and a controller constructed and arranged to controloperation of the heater and the air pump. The controller may be adaptedto control the heater to heat the precursor liquid and cause the airpump to deliver pressurized air to the reservoir when the detectordetects that the precursor liquid is at the desired temperature.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention are described with reference to the followingdrawings in which like numerals reference like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage formation device inaccordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of selected components of the beverageformation device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the portion of the beverage formationdevice shown in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4-8 show the portion of the of the beverage formation device shownin FIG. 2 in various states of opening and closing operations; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a beverage formation device inaccordance with aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the invention are described below and/or shown in thedrawings. These aspects of the invention may be used alone and/or in anysuitable combination with each other. Aspects of the invention are notlimited in any way by the illustrative embodiments shown and describedherein.

As used herein, a “cartridge” may take any suitable form, such as a pod(e.g., opposed layers of filter paper encapsulating a beverage medium),capsule, sachet or any other arrangement. The cartridge may beimpervious to air and/or liquid, or may allow water and/or air to passinto the cartridge. The cartridge may include a beverage medium, such astea, ground coffee, powdered milk, a drink mix, and/or any othersuitable material for forming a beverage. The cartridge may include afilter or other arrangement to help prevent some portions of thebeverage medium from being provided with the formed beverage, such as acoffee drink, tea, hot chocolate, etc. To “brew” a beverage includesinfusion, mixing, dissolving, steeping or otherwise forming a drinkablesubstance using water or other beverage precursor (e.g., flavored orotherwise treated water, or other liquid) with a beverage medium. Also,reference to “water” herein is to any suitable water formulation, e.g.,filtered, deionized, softened, etc., as well as any other suitableprecursor liquid used to form a beverage, such as sweetened or flavoredwater, milk, etc.

FIG. 1 shows a beverage forming device 10 that incorporates variousaspects of the invention. This illustrative embodiment includes ahousing 101 that encloses various parts of the device 10 and supportsseveral external features, such as a power button 91, a cup sensor 97(e.g., a photosensor) and/or other optional features. A brew chamber 1may be opened, e.g., by lifting a handle 3, so that a beverage cartridgemay be inserted into the brew chamber 1 for forming a beverage. In thisregard, the device 10 may operate, for example, as shown in U.S. Pat.No. 7,165,488, which is hereby incorporated by reference. That is,lifting the handle 3 may cause a brew chamber lid (not shown in FIG. 1)to be raised so that a cartridge receiver may tilt forward to receive abeverage cartridge. Of course, it should be understood that the brewchamber 1 may be opened in other ways, such as by push button actuationof a motor-driven mechanism, manual opening of a drawer that slidesoutwardly to receive a cartridge, and so on.

In one aspect of the invention, the device 10 may automatically enableprovision of water or other precursor liquid used to form a beverageinto a reservoir 5 (e.g., used for water heating) in response to closingof the brew chamber 1. For example, a user may lift the handle 3 orotherwise cause the brew chamber 1 to open. After placing a freshcartridge in the brew chamber 1, the user may cause the brew chamber 1to close, e.g., by pressing down on the handle 3, pushing a controlbutton that actuates a motor drive to close the brew chamber 1, etc.Upon movement of the brew chamber toward the closed position, a lid 51of the reservoir 5 may open, allowing a user to access to the reservoir5. With access to the reservoir 5, a user may pour water or other liquidinto the reservoir 5 through an access opening exposed by the open lid51. Of course, provision of water or other liquid to the reservoir 5 mayoccur in other ways, and a user need not provide the liquid into thereservoir 5. For example, liquid may be provided in response to brewchamber closing by opening of a valve in a water supply line that feedsthe reservoir 5. The water supply line may run from a storage tank onthe device 10 or from a plumbed connection to a domestic water supply.In such embodiments, a lid 51 for the reservoir 5 need not be providedsince a user need not have access to the reservoir 5. However, in thisembodiment, the reservoir 5 receives water or other liquid by a userpouring the liquid through an access opening exposed by opening of thereservoir lid 51. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, thedevice 10 may be effectively empty of water between uses, and have freshwater provided to the brewer in response to initiation of closure of thebrew chamber 1, which may signify a user's desire to form a beverage.

In another aspect of the invention, a lid 51 of a reservoir 5 may opensimultaneously and automatically with opening of the brew chamber 1. Forexample, the lid 51 of the reservoir 5 may pivot upwardly to expose anaccess opening for the reservoir 5 when the user takes action to openthe brew chamber 1, thereby allowing a user to pour water into thereservoir 5. Simultaneous and automatic opening of the brew chamber 1and the reservoir 5 may be controlled by a lid control mechanism, e.g.,that unlatches the reservoir lid 51 from a locked closed positionallowing the lid 51 to open under a spring bias in response to liftingof the handle 3 and opening of the brew chamber 1. Other arrangementsfor the lid control mechanism are possible, such as a motor-drivenlinkage that operates to open the lid 51 and the brew chamber 1 inresponse to a user's press of a button, mechanical or electro-mechanicallatching devices that unlatch the brew chamber 1 and lid 51 allowing thebrew chamber and lid 51 to open under a spring bias, and others.

To further illustrate these and other aspects of the invention, FIG. 2shows a schematic view, and FIG. 3 shows an exploded view, of selectedcomponents of the device 10 shown in FIG. 1 with the housing 101removed. Reference is made to FIGS. 2 and 3 to illustrate aspects of theinvention, but no limitation on such aspects of the invention isintended. For example, arrangements are described for movement of a brewchamber lid and a reservoir lid 51, but aspects of the invention are notlimited to the embodiments described, e.g., neither the brew chamber 1nor the reservoir 5 need have a lid in some aspects of the invention.Also, it should be understood that the device 10 likely would includeother parts that are not shown here for purposes of clarity.

In the illustrative embodiment shown, the handle 3 is fixed to a lidcarrier 42 that is pivotally mounted to a frame 6 at an axis 41. Theframe 6 may form a skeleton of the device 10, supporting the housing 101as well as other components of the device 10. The lid carrier 42 hasmounted to it a brew chamber lid 12 and a reservoir lid 51 that cover anopening in a beverage cartridge receiver 11 and an access opening in thereservoir 5, respectively. The brew chamber lid 12 may be fixed relativeto the lid carrier 42, and thus may move to open or close the brewchamber 1 with movement of the lid carrier 42. The reservoir lid 51 maybe moveably mounted on the lid carrier 42, e.g., so that the lid 51 maypivot about the axis 41. Thus, the reservoir lid 51 may pivot orotherwise move relative to the container part of the reservoir 5 toexpose the access opening of the reservoir 5.

In this illustrative embodiment, opening of the brew chamber 1 isinitiated by depressing a lever 2, which releases a locking arrangement21 that engages a portion 61 of the frame 6 to lock the lid carrier 42in the closed position and prevent lifting of the handle 3. However,such locking of the lid carrier 42 may be performed using otherarrangements, or may not be provided at all. In some cases, locking ofthe lid carrier 42 or otherwise resisting opening of the brew chamber 1may help the device 10 resist the pressures developed in the brewchamber 1 during beverage formation. In this embodiment, the lockingarrangement 21 includes a first slider 21 a that can move forward andback on the lid carrier 42 and is biased by a spring or other resilientmember to move in the forward direction. Thus, depression of the lever 2overcomes the bias of the spring or other element, and causes the firstslider 21 a to move rearwardly and disengage the portion 61 of the frame6. Of course, it should be understood that locking of the lid carrier 42may be accomplished in other ways, such as by a detent mechanism, otherlatch constructions, linkages, etc.

Lifting of the handle 3 pivots the lid carrier 42 about the axis 41 toexpose the opening in the cartridge receiver 11 and partially lift thereservoir lid 51 with respect to the access opening in the reservoir 5.However, with the reservoir lid 51 locked in place relative to the lidcarrier 42, the access opening is not exposed to allow liquid to beprovided into the reservoir 5 even with the lid carrier 42 fully raised.The lid 51 is locked in place by a second slider 21 b of the lockingarrangement 21 that is slidably mounted on the lid carrier 42. Thesecond slider 21 b is biased, e.g., by a spring, to move rearwardly andengage tab portions 53 on the lid 51, thereby keeping the lid 51 inplace relative to the lid carrier 42. However, with forward movement ofthe slider 21 b, the lid 51 is released and may be moved to expose theaccess opening of the reservoir 5. As discussed in more detail below,engagement of the slider 21 b with a portion 62 of the frame 6 as thelid carrier 42 is moved downwardly to close the brew chamber 1 causesthe slider 21 b to move forwardly toward the handle 3 and unlock the lid51. In this embodiment, the lid 51 is spring biased to pivot upwardlyand away from the lid carrier 42 so that upon release of the lid 51, thelid 51 moves abruptly to an open position. In other embodiments, the lid51 need not be spring biased, but may be moved by hand, by motor driveor other arrangement. Also, the lid 51 need not necessarily pivot aboutthe axis 41, but instead may pivot about any other suitably arrangedaxis, may slide side-to-side or forward-to-back, or move in any otherway to exposed/cover the access opening. Likewise, the lid carrier 42 isnot required, and the brew chamber lid 12 and reservoir lid 51 may beseparately mounted to the frame 6 or other member. Alternately, the lidcarrier 42 may move in other ways, such as with a sliding motion, anon-pivoting up and down motion, etc. In short, aspects of the inventionare not limited in the way that the brew chamber is opened/closed and/orthe way that the access opening to the reservoir is opened or covered toprevent access to the reservoir.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the reservoir lid 51 maybe arranged to pneumatically seal the reservoir 5 when the lid 51 is ina closed position relative to the access opening of the reservoir 5. Bypneumatically sealing the reservoir 5, the liquid in the reservoir 5 maybe caused to flow to the brew chamber 1 by pressure in the reservoir 5,e.g., air pressure introduced by an air pump or other means. In thisembodiment, the lid 51 includes a silicone rubber seal 52 that engageswith the container portion of the reservoir 5, but other sealingarrangements are possible, such as an interference or other close fit,other gasket arrangements, etc.

As also described in more detail below, in this embodiment, the lidcarrier 42 includes a pair of depending arms 43 that each have a pinthat engage with corresponding slots 14 in the cartridge receiver 11. Asthe lid carrier 42 and arms 43 move upwardly, engagement of the arms 43with the slots 14 causes the receiver 11 to tilt forward about an axis13. It should be understood that the receiver 11 may be tilted forwardin other ways, such as by hand, a motor driven mechanism, or otherarrangement. Alternately, the receiver 11 may remain stationary.

FIGS. 4-8 show the arrangement of FIGS. 2 and 3 in various states ofoperation. FIG. 4 shows an initial configuration with the brew chamber 1closed and the reservoir lid 51 closed, i.e., a configuration in which auser might typically find the beverage forming device 10 after abeverage has just been made. To start the process for forming a newbeverage, the user may open the brew chamber 1, e.g., by depressing thelever 2, which causes the slider 21 a to move rearwardly against aspring bias, as shown in FIG. 5. Rearward movement of the slider 21 acauses the slider 21 a to disengage from the portion 61 of the frame 6,allowing the lid carrier 42 to be raised by lifting of the handle 3. Thelid carrier 42 may be biased to move upwardly, e.g., under a spring orother bias, or may be arranged to require the user to support and liftthe lid carrier 42.

With the lid carrier 42 fully lifted as shown in FIG. 6, the cartridgereceiver 11 is tilted forward and positioned to receive a cartridge forbrewing a beverage. A detent or other arrangement may be employed tomaintain the lid carrier 42 in a lifted condition, e.g., to help preventinadvertent closing of the brew chamber 1. As mentioned above, liftingof the lid carrier 42 and engagement of the arms 43 with the slots 14 inthe receiver 11 causes the receiver 11 to tilt forward about the axis13. Although in this embodiment the cartridge receiver 11 pivots forwardabout an axis 13 based on engagement of arms 43 with a slot 14 in thecartridge receiver 11 to allow for easier handling of the cartridge, thecartridge receiver 11 may be moved manually, may remain stationary,and/or may move in other ways. In the condition shown in FIG. 6, thereservoir lid 51 is opened from a closed position (in which the lid 51seals the reservoir 5), but the reservoir lid 51 still covers the accessopening to the reservoir receptacle so that a user may not pour waterinto the reservoir 5. Thus, although the access opening is slightlyopened, the access opening is not exposed.

With a cartridge (not shown) placed in the cartridge receiver 11 (and aspent cartridge removed from the receiver 11 if necessary), the handle 3may be depressed as shown in FIG. 7 to close the brew chamber lid 12 andthus the brew chamber 1. When the brew chamber 1 is fully closed, theslider 21 a may re-engage with the portion 61 of the frame 6 so as tolock the lid carrier 42 in a closed position. The reservoir lid 51 maytravel with the lid carrier 42 until the brew chamber lid 12 is nearlyclosed or closed and the slider 21 b engages with a portion 62 on theframe 6, which causes the slider 21 b to disengage from the tab portions53 on the reservoir lid 51. This allows the reservoir lid 51 to pivotfreely on the lid carrier 42, e.g., about the axis 41 to an openposition shown in FIG. 7 to allow access to the reservoir 5. Thereservoir lid 51 may have a spring bias that urges the lid 51 to move tothe position shown in FIG. 7. Thus, when the slider 21 b disengages fromthe lid 51, the lid 51 may move abruptly to the position shown in FIG.7. This may draw the user's attention to the fact that water should beprovided in the reservoir 5 for brewing.

In this embodiment, the reservoir 5 is sized to receive only enoughwater for the preparation of one cup of beverage (e.g., 6, 8, 10 or 12ounces), and the device 10 is operated to empty the reservoir 5 duringeach brew cycle. Thus, the reservoir 5 in this embodiment needsrefilling after each completed brew cycle. This embodiment may be usefulin certain applications, such as hotel use or other circumstances whenit may not be desired to store water in the brewer. Of course, in otherembodiments, the reservoir 5 may have a larger capacity, or be providedwater from a separate storage tank or a plumbed connection. After wateris provided in the reservoir 5, the user may push the reservoir lid 51down so that it locks in place on the lid carrier 42 (the tab portions53 engage with the slider 21 b-shown in FIG. 8) and pneumatically sealsthe reservoir 5 closed. By a pneumatic seal, it is meant that the lid 51provides a suitable seal of the reservoir 5 to allow pneumatic deliveryof water in the reservoir to the cartridge, as described in more detailbelow.

In this embodiment, the slider 21 b and the frame portion 62 form a lidcontrol mechanism that functions to lock the reservoir lid 51 in aposition to block access to the access opening while the brew chamberlid 12 is open and unlocks the lid 51 to allow access to the accessopening when the brew chamber lid 12 is moved toward the closedposition. However, it should be understood that a lid control mechanismmay include other components that provide the same or similar function.For example, the lid control mechanism may include a solenoid-activatedlatch that is triggered to release the lid 51 from a locked position onthe lid carrier 42 upon closure of a switch when the lid carrier 42 islowered to close the brew chamber 1. In another embodiment, the lidcontrol mechanism may include a motor that is actuated to drive the lid51 to move toward an open position in response to initiation of closureof the brew chamber 1, e.g., as sensed by a photodetector, switch orother detector. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, thelid control mechanism may be altered to function in a different way,e.g., to cause simultaneous and automatic opening of the reservoir lid51 upon opening of the brew chamber lid 12. For example, the slider 21 band the frame portion 62 may be arranged to unlock the lid 51 from thelid carrier 42 when the user lifts the handle 3 with the brew chamberlid 12 in the closed position. Alternately, the slider 21 a may engagewith the lid 51 so as to lock the lid in a closed position with the brewchamber 1 closed, and release the reservoir lid 51 upon depression ofthe lever 2. Other arrangements are possible, such as a push buttonfunction whereby a user presses a push button, which causes the brewchamber lid 12 and the reservoir lid 51 to move toward respective openpositions whether by motorized, manual, electro-mechanical or othermeans.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a beverage forming device 10 inaccordance with aspects of the invention, e.g., the device 10 shown inFIGS. 1-8. With a fresh cartridge provided in the brew chamber 1 andwater in the reservoir 5, the user may press a brew button (such thepower button 91) to cause the brewer to start a brew cycle. Inaccordance with one aspect of the invention, initiation of a brew cyclemay begin with heating of the water in the reservoir 5, and when thewater is sufficiently heated, delivery of the water to the brew chambermay be initiated. Heating of the water may be done in any suitable way.For example, a controller 9 may control the heater 94 to begin heatingof the water in the reservoir 5, e.g., by an electrical resistanceheater in or around the reservoir 5, a heater in the line 96 leadingfrom the reservoir 5 to the brew chamber 1, or otherwise arranged toheat the water. Once the water is heated to a desired temperature, athermal cut off (TCO) switch 93 associated with the reservoir 5 may openand cause power to be cut off to the heater 94, e.g., the TCO switch 93may be arranged in the power supply line to the heater 94. (In someembodiments, sufficient heating of the water may be sensed in otherways, such as by a thermocouple, or other sensor.) In accordance with anaspect of the invention, the controller 9 (e.g., which may include amicroprocessor for performing data processing functions, a memory forstoring data and/or operating instructions, communication buses or otherdevices, software or other computer-executable instructions, a powersupply or other power source such as a plug for mating with anelectrical outlet, relays, mechanical linkages, user data input devicessuch as buttons, a touch screen or other, information display devicessuch as an LCD display, indicator lights or other, and/or othercomponents for providing desired control functions) may detect theopening of the TCO (such as by detecting a drop in voltage at the heater94) and in response cause delivery of water to the brew chamber 1, e.g.,control an air pump 92 to begin operation. The air pump 92 may deliverair under pressure to the reservoir 5 to cause the pressure in thereservoir 5 to rise, causing heated water to be forced from thereservoir 5 to the brew chamber 1 via a line 96. The reservoir 5 mayhave an outlet at or near the bottom of the reservoir 5 so that heatedwater is forced from the outlet and into the line 96 (which may includea check valve to help prevent backflow of fluid in the line 96). Heatedwater or other precursor liquid that is provided to the brew chamber mayenter a beverage cartridge in the brew chamber 1 via an inlet needlethat punctures the cartridge when the brew chamber lid 12 closes thebrew chamber 1. The water may contact the beverage medium in thecartridge and a formed beverage may exit the cartridge, e.g., via anexit needle that punctures a bottom side of the cartridge. The air pump92 may run for a specified period of time, e.g., 60 seconds, orotherwise controlled (e.g., by detecting a drop in pressure in thereservoir 5 signifying an absence of liquid) to empty the reservoir 5 ofall water or other liquid. The timing of the air pump operation may bearranged so that mainly air is pumped at the end of the cycle, e.g., tohelp purge the cartridge of any remaining beverage, as well as to helpdry the reservoir 5 and the line 96.

As described above and in accordance with one aspect of the invention,the reservoir 5 may be vented to allow escape of steam or otherpressurized gas during heating of the water, but not interfere withpneumatic delivery of water from the reservoir 5 to the brew chamber 1.For example, an orifice 95 arranged in the connection between the airpump 92 and the reservoir 5 may be suitably arranged to properly ventthe reservoir 5 during heating (e.g., to prevent substantial delivery ofwater from the reservoir 5 to the brew chamber 1 until the air pump 92is operated), and be arranged so that pressurization of the reservoir 5by the air pump 92 causes desired delivery of water to the brew chamber1. In one illustrative embodiment, the orifice has a diameter ofapproximately 0.012 inch.

In one embodiment, the brewer may include a cup or mug sensor 97 thatdetects whether a container is positioned to receive a beverage as itexits the brew chamber 1 and cartridge. If a container is not detected,the controller 9 may prevent the brewer from operating, e.g., mayprevent water heating, air pump operation, etc. Also, if the cup sensordetects that the container is removed during a brew cycle (e.g., duringwater heating or delivery of heated water to the cartridge), thecontroller 9 may stop brewer operation (stop heating or water delivery.)The brew cycle may be resumed if the container is detected to bereplaced. The cup sensor may take any suitable form, such as an LED andphotodetector.

In another aspect of the invention, the controller 9 may include afeature that powers up the device 10 upon detection that the brewchamber 1 has been opened. In accordance with this aspect of theinvention, a user need not be required to turn the device 10 on whenseeking to make a beverage, e.g., by pressing the power button 91, butinstead may simply lift the handle 3 or otherwise open the brew chamber1 and place a new cartridge in the brew chamber 1. Upon closing of thebrew chamber 1 and the reservoir lid 51 (indicating that a new cartridgehas been placed and water has been provided in the reservoir 5), thecontroller 5 may begin the brew cycle (e.g., water heating, followed bywater delivery to the brew chamber). The controller 9 may include one ormore sensors to detect opening/closing of the brew chamber 1 and/or thereservoir lid 51 to power up the device 10 and/or initiate a brew cycle.Such sensors may include a microswitch that is opened/closed uponmovement of the lid carrier 42, the brew chamber lid 12, the reservoirlid 51, the lever 2 and/or other suitable components. Power up of thedevice 10 may be triggered, for example, by a switch detecting movementof the brew chamber lid 12 or lid carrier 42 from the closed positiontoward the open position, and/or by depression of the lever 2. In oneembodiment, a switch may provide a brew indication signal by detectingthe closure of the reservoir lid 51. Since in the embodiment describedabove the reservoir lid 51 cannot be fully closed unless the brewchamber 1 is closed, the reservoir lid switch may detect that both a newcartridge has been placed, as well as provision of water into thereservoir 5, allowing the controller 9 to initiate a brew cycle uponclosure of the reservoir lid 51. The sensor(s) may alternately, or inaddition, detect the presence of a cartridge in the brew chamber 1,water or other liquid in the reservoir 5 and/or other features forsuitable control of the device 10. Accordingly, the device 10 mayreceive a brew indication from a user to start a brew cycle in a varietyof different ways, e.g., by closing the reservoir lid 51, by pressing apower button 91 or other user input, by placing a cup or otherreceptacle under the brew chamber or otherwise to receive a beverage,and so on.

The above and other aspects of the invention will be appreciated fromthe detailed description and claims. It should be understood thatalthough aspects of the invention have been described with reference toillustrative embodiments, aspects of the invention are not limited tothe embodiments described. Also, aspects of the invention may be usedalone, or in any suitable combination with other aspects of theinvention.

1. A method for forming a beverage, comprising: providing a brewindication to cause a brewer to begin a brew cycle; delivering power toa heater to heat precursor liquid in a reservoir of the brewer;detecting the temperature of the precursor liquid during heating;interrupting power to the heater based on detecting that the precursorliquid is heated to a desired temperature; and delivering the precursorliquid from the reservoir based on interrupting power to the heater. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the step of delivering the precursorliquid comprises pneumatically pressurizing the reservoir to forceprecursor liquid from the reservoir.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinthe step of detecting the temperature comprises using a thermal cut off(TCO) switch that opens when the precursor liquid is heated to thedesired temperature.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step ofdelivering the precursor liquid comprises: starting operation of an airpump to pressurize the reservoir in response to the TCO switch opening.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the brewer includes: a brew chamberfor receiving a beverage cartridge and having a lid that is movablebetween open and closed positions to open and close the brew chamber,the brew chamber adapted to substantially enclose a beverage cartridgewith the lid in a closed position; and the reservoir includes a lid thatis movable to open and close an access opening through which precursorliquid is provided into the reservoir.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe reservoir lid is adapted to pneumatically seal the reservoir accessopening in a closed position.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: introducing the precursor liquid from the reservoir into abeverage cartridge to form a beverage.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe brew indication is provided by closing a lid of the reservoir. 9.The method of claim 1, wherein the step of delivering the precursorliquid comprises: emptying the reservoir of precursor liquid.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: opening a brew chamber to enablea beverage cartridge to be placed in the brew chamber.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, further comprising: placing a beverage cartridge in the brewchamber; closing the brew chamber to at least partially enclose thebeverage cartridge; and in response to closing the brew chamber, openinga reservoir lid to allow access to the reservoir to provide theprecursor liquid into the reservoir.
 12. The method of claim 10, whereinthe step of delivering power to the heater is performed in response toclosing of the reservoir lid.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of providing the brew indication includes: closing a lid of thereservoir after providing the precursor liquid in the reservoir.
 14. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the brew indicationincludes: detecting the presence of a cup near the brewer.
 15. Abeverage forming machine comprising: a brew chamber for receiving a brewcartridge; a reservoir for receiving precursor liquid for use in forminga beverage; a brew indication switch for receiving an indication from auser to begin a brewing cycle; a heater for heating precursor liquid inthe reservoir; a detector for detecting a desired temperature ofprecursor liquid in the reservoir; an air pump for providing pressurizedair to the reservoir; and a controller constructed and arranged tocontrol operation of the heater and the air pump; wherein the controlleris adapted to control the heater to heat the precursor liquid and causethe air pump to deliver pressurized air to the reservoir when thedetector detects that the precursor liquid is at the desiredtemperature.
 16. The machine of claim 15, wherein the detector is athermal cut off (TCO) switch that interrupts power to the heater whenthe precursor liquid is heated to the desired temperature.
 17. Themachine of claim 16, wherein the controller causes the air pump todeliver pressurized air when the TCO interrupts power to the heater. 18.The machine of claim 15, wherein the pressurized air delivered to thereservoir forces precursor liquid from the reservoir to the brewchamber.
 19. The machine of claim 15, wherein: the brew chamber isarranged for receiving a beverage cartridge and has a lid that ismovable between open and closed positions to open and close the brewchamber, the brew chamber adapted to substantially enclose the beveragecartridge with the lid in a closed position; and the reservoir includesa lid that is movable to open and close an access opening through whichprecursor liquid is provided into the reservoir.
 20. The machine ofclaim 19, wherein the reservoir lid is adapted to pneumatically seal thereservoir access opening in a closed position.
 21. The machine of claim15, wherein the brew indication switch is activated by closing a lid ofthe reservoir.
 22. The machine of claim 15, wherein the controllercontrols the air pump to empty the reservoir of precursor liquid whenthe detector detects that the precursor liquid is at the desiredtemperature.